Great Scot! Part 2: Athlete in Aberdeen

One of the reasons for my trip was a chance to see London-based britrockers Athlete on their Beyond the Neighbourhood tour. The only Scotland stop wasn’t Edinburgh or Glasgow but Aberdeen which was fortunately accessible by bus and train. Pretty much my only prior awareness of Aberdeen came courtesy of the Simpsons episode “Monty Can’t Buy Me Love.” In this episode, Mr. Burns decides to capture the Loch Ness monster so the citizens of Springfield will love him. They travel to Scotland and drain the lake finding “Loch Ness High’s discarded homecoming float” adorned with a “Stomp Aberdeen!” banner. In response Homer yells, “No way! Aberdeen rules!”

Of course, my best friend Zach and I were pretty big Simpsons geeks and I can remember him quoting this line as a complete non sequitur on random occasions. Hence, upon my arrival in the city, I began a hurried search for any sort of Aberdeen gift shop that might have a t-shirt or shotglass emblazoned with the immortal phrase. Alas, it was not to be. The “Granite City” must not be quite the tourist attraction that Edinburgh is because I couldn’t find souvenirs anywhere. I did, however, find some nice looking buildings and a pretty sweet statue of William Wallace (you know, from Braveheart).











Finally, once all the stores had closed and after I’d found a place to grab a quick bite, it was showtime. The concert was held in Aberdeen Music Hall which might normally hold anything from orchestras to choirs to popstars. Seeing a rock band in such a venue was really cool, especially since the last time I caught these guys was literally at a bar in Boston.





Their music is somewhere in the realm of Coldplay with a twinge of electronica with swelling melodies and sing-along choruses. Their most recent album (aside from having a great cover) has really grown on me and it was great to hear many of the new songs live, especially the encore opener “Second Hand Stores.” British bands really know how to do lights, as evidenced by these photos, and the whole evening was great.









On Monday morning I awoke way too early to get the first train back to Edinburgh where I caught my return flight. It was a nice little whirlwind trip and I really hope I am able to return to the country so I can visit the highlands and maybe some distilleries…

Great Scot! Part 1: Edinburgh

I have to admit that there’s something really comforting about traveling to an English-speaking country, especially in terms of ease of getting around. Maybe that has something to do with why I enjoyed my Irish and English adventures so much. However, I have to think that the natural beauty of the land contributes a lot as well. A few weeks ago I finally made it to Scotland and I honestly can’t wait to get back.

Having heard Edinburgh was quite nice (and since EasyJet flies there from Geneva), I decided to make that my primary destination. As luck would have it, a friend-of-a-friend is studying there so I even had a de facto tour guide and place to stay.

I arrived on Friday January 25th to rain and wind (big surprise). I met up with Erin and wandered around the city for a bit while she went to class. We then headed for dinner and spent the evening at an Australian bar with some of her friends to celebrate Australia Day (which is comparable to the 4th of July for us Americans).


The Merkat Cross in front on St Giles Cathedral


The Cathedral by night


John Knox, a reformer who spent a lot of time in Geneva, is still buried near the cathedral. Of course, the cemetery is now a parking lot (that yellow square marks his grave)


Edinburgh Castle

On Saturday morning we took a free walking tour from the same company Joe, Brian and I used in London. Erin came along and got to see a few things and learn some history she hadn’t known before. Lucky for us, the rain subsided, though the skies were still plenty gray. While Dublin is rather industrial, Edinburgh is very much a medieval city with lots of amazing old buildings infused with magic and majesty. After walking around for a little while, it comes as no surprise that this is where J.K. Rowling invented Harry Potter and wrote the first book.


Herriot's School, allegedly J.K. Rowling's inspiration for Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry


The Elephant House, the coffee shop where J.K. Rowling allegedly wrote the first Harry Potter book


Me in front of the Elephant House. Gotta love display fonts...


Greyfriars churchyard


statue of Greyfriar's Bobby, a terrier who wouldn't leave his master's graveside and became a local legend


Deacon Brody's Tavern, named after a prominent citizen whose double-life of crime and lechery inspired Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde


a statue of Deacon Brody


window from the Scottish National Gallery featuring one of my favorite pieces there


preternaturally green grass in one of the city’s parks



Following our tour, we toured the National Gallery and did a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, the castle was closing so I wasn’t able to actually tour that, but perhaps another time. By the time the sun went down, we were pretty exhausted so we decided to grab some dinner (Mexican!) and a catch a movie (the excellent Dan in Real Life which still hasn’t made it to Switzerland). All in all it was a great day.

After finding some breakfast and wandering around the shops of Princes Street on Sunday, it was time for me to take MegaBus up to Aberdeen where I would spend the rest of my trip.